Tyler Abell

Tyler Abell (born August 9, 1932)^[2] is an American lawyer who briefly served as Chief of Protocol of the United States in the late 1960s.

Tyler Abell
Abell in 2017
14th Chief of Protocol of the United States
In office September 30, 1968 – January 20, 1969
President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Angier Biddle Duke
Succeeded by	Emil Mosbacher
Personal details
Born	(1932-08-09) August 9, 1932 (age 92) Washington, D.C.
Spouse	Bess Abell ​ ​ (m. 1955; died 2020)​ [1]
Relations	Luvie Moore Abell (mother) George Abell (father) Drew Pearson (stepfather)

Personal life

Abell is the child of Luvie Moore Abell and writer George Abell. When Abell was 5 years old, his mother and her new husband, columnist Drew Pearson, took custody of him while on the British island of Sark, claiming that George had taken the child overseas without his mother's permission.^[3][4] Abell later edited Drew Pearson Diaries, 1949-1959 (1974).^[5]

Abell was married to Bess Abell, until her death in 2020. She served as White House Social Secretary under President Lyndon B. Johnson. They were close personal friends with Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird Johnson, who hosted Abell's wedding reception.

Career

On September 25, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson named Abell to become Chief of Protocol at the U.S. State Department, and he took office less than a week later.^[6][7] Abell resigned on January 20, 1969, after Richard Nixon won the presidential election and the Democratic Party lost control of the White House. Nixon named Emil Mosbacher, Jr. to succeed Abell as Chief of Protocol.

Abell later became a lawyer^[8] and the French-American Executive Committee co-chair of the Association du Mouvement des Français de l'Étranger.^[9]